Chapter 67 Chapter 67 She will leave him after all
The 18th day of the Chen month. The Imperial Palace
The banquet flowed like water, from inside the hall to outside.
With the clinking of glasses and the playing of harps and flutes, three days had passed since the Su family incident, and it seemed as if it had been forgotten by everyone.
Emperor Hengshun sat at the top with his horse and sword in his hands, on one side was Shen Qingchen, on the other side was Empress Xie, and Empress Dowager Su's seat was quietly removed, leaving a spacious corner.
Jiang Hexue sat with a group of familiar royal ladies, and her eyes glanced at the men's seats through the gauze curtain.
Others could not see anything unusual, except King Jing Chen Zelan, who had a bamboo strip clamped on his right forearm and was hung high with a strap.
"Qiqi, what happened to your prince?" Jiang Hexue withdrew her gaze and asked Hasiqiqige. "When was he injured?"
"Looks like fourteen." Hasiqiqige scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "He insisted on playing polo with me, and he fell like this."
Jiang Hexue breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good..."
That means the grey-robed man is not Shen Zelan.
But Hasiqiqige looked at him with confusion and shock. Jiang Hexue finally realized his slip of the tongue and smiled, explaining, "What I meant was that the capital has been in turmoil lately. I hope he wasn't injured by bandits."
"The most restless one is Bei Xuan," Xie Junyi raged. "How dare they find the raw Purple Tooth Black Stone in the secret room?"
"Bei Xuan was defeated by King Xiang at the beginning of the year, yet he still dares..."
"Junyi." Shen Chutang cut in softly. "Don't say such things on your birthday."
Xie Junyi stopped talking, and the others started chatting about some lighter topics, of course, teasing the newlywed Ruan Yueyi was inevitable.
Xie Junyi jokingly smiled mischievously, "Why do I feel like there's someone who looks more like a newlywed couple than Gan Le? What does the Queen think?"
Jiang Hexue was looking through the gauze curtain at Shen Qingchen toasting the princes. He was caught off guard by her sudden mention and hadn't reacted yet: "Huh?"
"Your eyes are almost glued to the little uncle." Ruan Yueyi said softly.
"My husband, I can never get enough of looking at him," Jiang Hexue said with a smile, neither angry nor embarrassed. "Spring has arrived, and I've been thinking about taking him for a stroll around the capital. Any recommendations for good places?"
"Jiang Xingcong loves running entertainment businesses. Why not go to one of his shops?" Ruan Yueyi thought for a moment and suggested. "He recently opened a new place called Hundred Beasts. I went there once. It's quite interesting and novel, with all kinds of animals on display."
Jiang Hexue nodded in agreement: "I would like to have a small pet."
The Heng'an Palace was often too deserted, and Xiao Qionghua often went to Qianxiangfang with her. If she had a kitten or a puppy, it could also keep Shen Qingchen company.
"Cat?" Ruan Yueyi guessed.
Jiang Hexue wanted to nod, but her mind suddenly flashed back to the white tiger in Wei Shutan's cloak that she had mistaken for a "cat". She quickly shook her head and said, "It's a dog."
The singing and dancing paused, she counted on her fingers and figured out that it was the third show she had agreed with Shen Qingchen, then she found a random excuse and got up to go out.
But when he stood up, he saw Shen Qingchen still talking with a prince, so he must have discovered something.
She simply went there herself and went to the imperial garden to get some fresh air.
-
The flowers in the imperial garden are in full bloom, and the scenery is very beautiful.
But there are people who spoil the fun.
Jiang Hexue wanted to pretend not to see it, but Fu Wang had already waved at her carelessly: "Hexue!"
"Prince Fu should pay his respects to this princess." She had no choice but to walk closer, speaking in a distant and low voice, with her hands behind her back, and her fingertips quietly drew out a new scent of soul-resurrection incense from the edge of her sleeve.
"Mr. Fu greets the princess." Fu Wangfu bowed.
"You must have something to explain to me." Jiang Hexue stopped three steps away from him.
Fu Wang blinked and pretended to be dumbfounded. She pointed out directly: "My purple-toothed black collar. Did you bring it?"
After looking at each other for a moment, Fu Wang smiled with shame: "I took it with good intentions, and wanted to return it to you..."
"You're too lazy to prepare your lies?" Jiang Hexue interrupted him, a scornful smile on her lips. "Fu Wang, it's winter, and the roads are frozen. Even if you gallop, it'll take a month to get from Liangzhou to Beijing."
"You and I met again at the end of the last month of the 11th month," she said slowly. "But Zhaohua and I got married on the ninth day of the 11th month. That was much later than the day you left Liangzhou."
"Fu Wang...how did you know I was still alive?" Jiang Hexue secretly lit the incense and looked up. A smile appeared on his face again, a very shallow smile that didn't even reach his eyes. "Didn't I 'pass away' a long time ago?"
The midday sunlight was dazzling yet thin, and it cast a somewhat plain and desolate white on her face. Her purple eyes were reflected in a clear and shallow manner, but no one could see the bottom of them.
It was as if the sunlight fell all over her, but did not fall into her eyes.
"Jiang Hexue!" Fu Wang took two steps back in horror and lost his voice.
"Afraid of me?" Jiang Hexue smiled softly. "Fu Er, why are you afraid of me? I'm just asking casually."
"We've been friends for over a decade. Why should we hide or lie to each other?" She approached him with a light, graceful gait, her faint fragrance lingering in his nostrils. "Fu Er, why did you bring the purple-fanged black collar? Tell me the truth..."
Fu Wang retreated step by step, and Jiang Hexue pressed forward step by step.
"Who is the man in gray?" she asked. "You were the one who stopped His Highness in the prison earlier. Don't try to evade me."
She did not have the same patience for Fu Wangyuan as she had for Su Min'er that day. Even though she had been with Chen Qingchen for a long time and had learned to be more expressionless than before, the anger of being betrayed and deceived mostly controlled her reason at this moment, and her questions became more aggressive.
The soul-returning incense controlled his mind, and his heart was tormented by fear and guilt. Fu Wang had never found her so scary.
For a moment, he couldn't even tell whether Jiang Hexue in front of him was a human or a ghost.
"Actually, you also think I've been dead for a long time..." Her voice drifted lightly, drifting away in the wind. "Unfortunately, this isn't what you wish for..."
"Ghost!" Fu Wang's legs went limp and he fell down against the wall.
At the base of the wall, there was a pile of dead branches that the gardener had just pruned. He picked up a few and threw them at her: "Don't scare me, or I'll smash you to death!"
Jiang Hexue was caught off guard and the soul-returning incense in her hand actually fell down. Sparks fell next to the dead branches. She was afraid that something else might happen, so she didn't care about Fu Wang and leaned over to blow it out.
A fierce palm wind came from the side of the neck, heading straight for the jugular vein.
"Sister!" At the same time, a panicked voice was heard. The young man in brocade clothes came out of nowhere and blocked the palm with his arm.
Although Fu Wang was not proficient in martial arts, this blow was enough for him. Jiang Heye couldn't help but groan, and swung his other hand, and poisonous needles rained down.
Fu Wang was stabbed and rolled over, his body pierced by broken grass and poisonous needles, looking very miserable.
But he didn't get up, and lay limp in the mess like a puddle of mud.
Jiang Hexue peeked out from behind Jiang Heye in fear: "This is..."
"My muscles are loose and I can't move." Jiang Heye explained, covering his injured arm and looking back at her. "Sister, are you hurt?"
"...What did you call me?" Jiang Hexue stood there in a daze.
When asked this question, Jiang Heye was stunned. It took him a long time to realize that the name he called out in a hurry and impulsively was out of instinct.
The fragmented memories connected into one line at this moment, but it gave him a splitting headache.
"I want to apply medicine." He spoke half to avoid the pain and half because of it.
"Wait a moment, I'll have someone prepare a sedan chair and go to Yuehua Palace."
-
The Imperial Garden is not close to the Yuehua Palace. When the two returned to the main palace, the doctor summoned by Xue Lan also arrived.
But it was not the imperial physician, but Jiang Xingcong's younger sister Jiang Jinci.
Shen Chuning, whose eyes were red, was also beside him.
"Little Princess..." Jiang Heye panicked when he saw her. He stood up in a hurry and accidentally touched his injured arm, his face twisted with pain.
"What's going on?" Jiang Hexue didn't stay inside for long and went outside to ask Xue Lan.
"I originally went to call the imperial physician, and happened to meet you two here. The princess said that Miss Jiang has superb medical skills, so she did not call the imperial physician, and you two came here." Xue Lan said.
Jiang Hexue nodded, and told her to go and see Fu Wang to deal with the aftermath, and then inform Shen Qingchen.
Xue Lan took the order and left. She paced outside, trying to calm down and sort out her thoughts, but the joy and relief that came to her mind after realizing it made it impossible for her to calm down.
Jiang Heye's memory recovery made the huge stone that had been weighing on her heart for many years fall to the ground. Her steps became much lighter and she hummed a little tune happily.
She was too lazy to think about Fu Wang's troubles, and seemed to be in the mood to just take the collar back and be done with it.
I don't want to think about the Marquis of Zhenbei, or the identity of the man in gray robe. I just want to throw everything away and go out to have fun.
She continued to hum the tune until Jiang Jinci and Shen Chuning came out from the inner room. The former bowed to her softly, "Aci greets the princess."
She is Ruan Yueyi's sister-in-law, and their relationship is naturally closer than that of ordinary officials and noble ladies.
"No need to be so polite." Jiang Hexue stopped circling and reached out to help her up. "How is his injury?"
"Nothing serious, just some bruising," Jiang Jinci said. "Just a simple ice compress will be fine."
Chen Chuning's nose was still red, but she said, "I just heard what Ah Ye said, so I won't bother Aunt Huang to reminisce with him. I'll go back with Ah Ci first."
Seeing that she was determined, Jiang Hexue didn't bother to be polite. He sent the two of them out and opened the door to look for Jiang Heye.
He had calmed down a bit, and when he saw her curl her lips, he said, "Sister."
Jiang Hexue's eyes suddenly sore: "You remember everything?"
"It's more or less the same. Wait for Sister to tell me the rest." Jiang Heye recalled the brief story Shen Qingchen had told him about her life. It was indeed consistent with his memory, so he didn't rush and just said to her as before. "I want to go out and play."
Jiang Hexue's unshed tears turned into a smile: "Where do you want to go?"
"I originally thought that after we met, I would go to another state capital to wander around and stay for a while. But it's better to do it now than to wait for a day."
She chatted with him briskly, "When the time comes... we'll find a small courtyard to live in together. I think Jiangzhou would be a good choice. It's on the southeast coast, with a mild climate and friendly people. It's also far from Kyoto, so we don't have to worry about irrelevant people and things."
"After having fun, let's go back to Liangzhou."
"Just you and me? What about my brother-in-law?" Jiang Heye asked.
"He..." Jiang Hexue's tone was a little dull. "He's actually a bit too taciturn and old-fashioned. It's bound to get boring if you stay with him for too long... Oh, and please don't tell him that we're leaving."
Across the door, the young man who had stopped outside lowered his eyes and swayed slightly.
His long fingers gripped the handle of the white jade folding fan, and veins bulged.
He listened to every word of the conversation between the brother and sister.
He was taciturn, old-fashioned, and did not please her.
It's no longer interesting or new to her.
But now he is of no further use to her.
She was going to leave him after all.
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The author has something to say: Some gay friends actually said that I had a sour misunderstanding in order to write something cool [yellow heart]
(Okay, she's right) (Wait until I add a small theater)
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